Bayern didn’t fancy Tel.
The four managers we’ve had since he joined haven’t fancied him either, De Zerbi’s just in a situation where he’s been forced to play him.
At what point do we accept that a player with 150 first team appearances to his name just isn’t going to reach the level we want him to?
Like I said to Spurf, what’s Tel’s USP? There’s no real defining standout attribute about him.
Of the young players we’ve signed, Bergvall’s the only one who’s shown a glimpse of being potentially good enough to make it but we’re still looking at about 2-3+ years before he’s a genuinely viable option. Kinsky is terrible and I think fans hatred of Vicario is blinding them from agreeing with such, Gray just doesn’t really do that much but because he’s been thrown into multiple positions gets praised for his versatility and Odobert is even worse than Tel, he’s basically a poor man’s Yannick Bolasie.
The quality of the young players is up for debate - both their eventual ceilings, and their ability to contribute now.
The biggest problem is though that we have made a complete hash of profiling players across the squad, especially with the young players.
Nobody knows what Bergvall is, successive coaches haven’t worked out where he’s most effective (maybe RDZ has it with him being a Gallagher-esque player who has a bit more quality on the ball about him?). Gray has played everywhere, partially because he has had to, but is he a 6? An 8? Nobody knows. Tel has played across the front line, Odobert too as well as occasionally as a 10, though he’s always injured. Who or what is a Xavi Simons?
This is what happens when you have a weak DOF and a succession of coaches or are either unable to, or not in post long enough to, properly embed a way of playing and identify which players fit which roles. Not to mention the changes in how we’ve been playing over the last 12 months.
The vast majority of young players need to be given a role and to train consistently to do it, so that when they get their opportunities on the pitch, the game is simple for them and they can focus on the basics. It’s very different to signing someone like Palhinha, or even a more nominally versatile player like RKM on loan as the club don’t care about developing them, they’re there to do a job when called upon.
I’ve said it before but a massive problem for us is the sheer number of young players all competing for game time in similar parts of the pitch, couple this with the turnover in coaches and that they’re all probably having to play more than you’d hope given the injuries and it’s clear that we’re just muddling through with no clear plan.
It’s why I hope RDZ will be a good coach for us. I think he has a clear game model and a clear sense of what he wants players to do in different parts of the pitch. I also think there’s a trend where your most technical midfield player needs to be the 8 (or the more progressive of a double pivot in a 4231) as getting through an opponent’s mid block or press is the biggest challenge right now - generally you can have space in your own defensive third, or find it in behind a press. RDZ is an innovator and I could see him coaching a midfield where Maddison/Simons drops deeper in the buildup and Gallagher/Bergvall run channels and buzz around for second balls if the 9 can’t make it stick. Then if you get settled possession the more technical player moves closer to goal and the runner covers.
I digress. But the problem is that nobody really knows what role our young players should be doing so they’re probably all a bit lost. It’s harsh to make judgements in such an environment.
